People assume that Bermuda is in the Caribbean. In fact, it’s almost 1,000 miles to the north-east, isolated deep in the Atlantic Ocean, about level with Charleston in South Carolina.
Yet its British connections feel even stronger than in most of the Caribbean.
Perhaps that’s because policemen still wear bobbies’ helmets (at certain times) to direct the traffic; locals play cricket and the remote settlement is officially a British Overseas Territory run by a governor appointed by the King. It’s the oldest of the 14 overseas territories, dating from the early 17th century.
Bermuda’s pink beaches, turquoise waters and sherbet-coloured houses have been seducing visitors for aeons.
As my plane touches down on the archipelago comprising 181 islands – though the biggest are linked by bridges to form a main land-form of about 24 miles long and one mile wide – the party begins.
Colours of the rainbow: Katja Gaskell explores Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Above, Front Street in the island capital of Hamilton
My arrival coincides with a four-day carnival in June, although any time of year is pleasant to visit. It’s 23-27c in October and rarely drops below 18-20c.
Bermuda was once known as the Isle of Devils, due to ferocious storms, screeching seabirds and treacherous coral reefs. The storms caused many shipwrecks (which is why it is famously called the ‘Bermuda Triangle’) and today Bermuda is home to more than 300 wrecks that offer spectacular diving and snorkelling opportunities.
Staying at the chic Rosewood Bermuda, I step on board the hotel’s 32ft catamaran for a snorkel cruise, and spend a morning bobbing about in turquoise waters among bright-green parrotfish and multi-coloured coral. Back on dry land, I head to the nearby Crystal and Fantasy Caves, two of the island’s star attractions.
Party time: Katja arrives on the island during an annual carnival held every June (file image)
Trappings of British life can be found on the island, like the red phone booths seen here
The following day we head to St George, the oldest continuously inhabited English town in the Americas. Here, we visit the Gothic Unfinished Church and Tucker House. The latter was once home to Colonel Henry Tucker who finagled supplying gunpowder to the Americans during the War of Independence.
Afterwards, Wahoo’s Bistro is perfect for a tasty fish sandwich made with deep-fried wahoo and topped with tartar sauce and coleslaw.
Taxis are one way to get around Bermuda, but a Renault Twizy, a two-seater electric micro car, is much more fun. Jumping in one I head to Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve, where chef Doreen Williams-James, who uses native fruits, vegetables and herbs in her cooking, offers a foraging tour in the 12-acre park.
‘Bermuda’s pink beaches, turquoise waters and sherbet-coloured houses have been seducing visitors for aeons,’ writes Katja
In St George, the oldest continuously inhabited English town in the Americas, Katja visits the Gothic Unfinished Church (pictured)
Hamilton, the capital, is a must-visit for its boutiques, botanical gardens and rainbow-coloured Front Street, where restaurants and bars buzz until the early hours.
A visit to the western tip of the main island, where the Bermuda Railway Trail starts, is a final day treat. Between 1931 and 1948, the ‘Old Rattle and Shake’ ferried islanders along the coastline. Today, 18 of the railway’s original 22 miles have been transformed into a walking and cycling path with sublime views.
Later, it’s cocktail time at the Swizzle Inn which serves ‘the best’ (according to its owner, Jay Correia) potent Rum Swizzle cocktails.